Hero of Indo-Polish ties – Firstpost

In the last week of February, the 21-member Polish youth delegation visited India for the first Jamsaheb Memorial Youth Exchange Program. India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also met the delegation. This youth exchange program between India and Poland was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August 2024.

After hearing the news about the program, one might naturally wonder who is the person whom the Youth Exchange Program is named after. Jamsaheb is a title referring to the rulers of Nawanagar (now Jamnagar) in the western state of Gujarat. In this case, the title is particularly referring to the Jamsaheb Maharaja Digvijay Singh, who is also called ‘Good Maharaja’ by the Poles because they found his name difficult to pronounce.

The story behind why Digvijay Singh attained the ‘Good Maharaja’ title is also fascinating. During World War II, Maharaja Digvijay Singh performed an extraordinary humanitarian act that forever linked him to Polish history. In 1942, as thousands of Polish refugees—mostly children—were displaced by the war, the Jamsaheb opened his heart and his kingdom to them. He provided shelter to approximately 1,000 Polish children, many of whom were orphans, at his summer palace in Balachadi near Jamnagar.

Under his protection, these children received food, education, medical care, and perhaps most importantly, a sense of safety during one of history’s darkest periods. By 1943, the Jam Sahib started construction for a family camp at a stretch of his land in a quarter city of Kolhapur, Valivade, to house over 6500 Poles. In 1945, the camp at Balachadi was closed, and the children were transferred to the family camp in Valivade. The refugee settlement operated until 1946. The settlement allowed these young survivors to maintain their Polish identity, culture, and traditions while under his care.

This compassionate gesture by the Good Maharaja has evolved into a cornerstone of diplomatic relations between India and Poland. What began as a humanitarian response to the wartime crisis has transformed into a bond of mutual respect and friendship. Polish diplomats regularly reference this historical connection in bilateral meetings. In 2013, Poland honoured the Maharaja by issuing a commemorative stamp featuring his image. During PM Modi’s visit to Warsaw in 2024, Polish officials specifically highlighted this shared history. This demonstrates how a single act of kindness has been woven into the diplomatic narrative between the two nations.

Beyond formal diplomacy, the story of the Good Maharaja has permeated cultural exchanges and public consciousness. Polish schools include this history in their curriculum, while documentary films and books continue to tell the story to new audiences. Both the Polish and Indian governments created a documentary called “A Little Poland in India” in 2015 that showcases this episode of history.

The children, who were enrolled in the settlement of Jam Sahib, later settled down across the globe and became successful in their lives. They became natural advocates of India’s goodwill gesture. In Jamnagar, a small museum preserves artefacts and testimonies from the Polish children who found refuge there, attracting visitors from Poland making what many consider a pilgrimage of gratitude. Former refugees and their descendants have maintained connections with India, some returning periodically to honour the place that saved their lives.

As we witness the unfolding of initiatives like the Jamsaheb Memorial Youth Exchange Program, we are reminded that history’s most meaningful legacies often spring from moments of moral courage. When Maharaja Digvijay Singh opened his kingdom to Polish refugee children in their hour of greatest need, he could not have foreseen that his actions would shape diplomatic relations between two geographically distant nations in the next century. Yet today, over eighty years later, that single act of humanity continues to inspire cooperation, cultural exchange, and mutual respect between India and Poland.

The writer is an independent columnist who writes on international relations, and socio-political affairs. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.